I am also doing this project, I used poplar risers and a poplar skirting painted white, Everything installed over osb stairs that i cut off the bullnose. Just outta curiosity what exact glue do you guys recommend to glue my new treads down with, walnut. I am currently staining and poly the new treads then will glue them down.

thanks

You would want to go with a Urethane adhesive, such as Mapei Ultrabond 990, or Bostik EFA.

thanks man.

I'd go to lowes or HD and in the paint section buy tubes of PL premium Urethane.
In a yellow tube, with some black & red on the label.

Tubes are much easier and less messy than a fully troweled on adhesive.

Maybe for a DIY. But IMO full spread is nicer to walk on.

I bet money you won't know/feel the difference in a ¾-1" thick tread, if it was full spread or beaded good.

How did they do it before adhesives?


Can you video, you full spreading a set of stairs, out of a pail of adhesive??? It sure would enlighten just how hard that really is.

It is the reason I switched to tubes, better control, quicker and just as good for the purpose.
One bead around the perimeter and about every 3-4 inches apart back to front and a few brads so it doesn't move as I work up the staircase.

LOL, Put it on the table man, I can tell . Alot more solid feel


Well geez...Maybe there's been some advances, that work to our advantage



No, I probably couldn't video at the same time I full spread. But without the video....piece of cake, it's not brain surgery...Set bucket 1 or 2 steps down, take adhesive out of pail with trowell, put on step, full spread, set tred.



That sounds like it works great, nothing wrong with that, just not as solid I work from top down

Only thing i was able to find in town was a two gallon tub of bostiks best, it said urethane, so i figured that should work. I STill have not used it, but i wanna make sure it will work before i start. It was like 92 bucks after tax. I do agree it will be messy, but i want the best solid feel i can have.

Best will work great. It's probably the priciest and messiest adhesive out there though. They will be super solid with Best.

Good luck not making a mess!
Get towels and bostik's wipes.
Blue tape and plastic if you want to be perfect.

if there are 15-16 steps, your going to need more than 2 gallons, if your just doing the treads, with ¼x¼x¼ notch as recommended for ¾ flooring in a full spread.

When you run out try the tubes of urethane. $5-$6 a tube and you get two treads out of a tube.

It's not messy at all. As long as you can chew bubblegum and walk at the same time. Have a little paint thinner on a rag, same as anything else.

Treds are different than planks on a floor. I use 1/4"x1/8" square notch, 100% contact on a tred , 40 sq. ft. per gallon. Unless your staircase is way out of the norm...2 gallons is plenty.
( Anybody that uses 1/4x1/4 teeth on a tred, is swimming in glue. Yea, probably a big mess )

Tubes are rinkidink on Solid Hardwood Treds, maybe o.k. on laminate, but no comparrison.

I think its gonna be messy as hell. I glued my landing flooring down, it was a different glue "bruce", and it was so thin it would not stay on the trowel transfering from the bucket to the floor, unless this stuff is thinker, we will find out today...

I guess when you spread glue for a living, and have had a trowell in your hand forever...mess problems don't enter in much.

I am very sure this is the case..

i could not find a 1/4 X 1/8 trowel. i have a 1/4 X 1/4 triangle, and a 3/32 x 3/32 square, and a 1/4 x 1/4 square, what would you recommend?